Exclamations, Or Meditations of The Soul on Its God Exclamation 12 S. Teresa of Jesus of the Order of our Lady of Carmel St. Teresa of Avila ░░░░░░░░░░░░ "Written By The Holy Mother Teresa Of Jesus On Different Occasions, According To The Devotion Imparted To Her By Our Lord After Holy ComMunion. A.D. 1569." ░░░░░░░░░░░░ From the Book, "Minor Works Of St. Teresa Conceptions Of The Love Of God Exclamations, Maxims And Poems" |
Exclamations, Or Meditations of The Soul on Its God Exclamation 12 |
Exclamation XII [1]
1.
O ye souls free from all dread
of ever losing your bliss, —
You, who are constantly absorbed
in the praises of my God,
how blessed is your lot !
How just it is
that you should ceaselessly adore Him !
How I envy you,
who are delivered from the grief
I feel at witnessing
the hateful offences
committed against my God
in these unhappy days
and
the gross ingratitude
of men's indifference
to the multitude of souls
Satan is dragging down to hell.
2.
O blessed souls dwelling in paradise !
Relieve our miseries
and
intercede for us
with the Divine Mercy,
that He may give us
some little share
of your felicity,
and
of the certain knowledge you possess.
Grant us to understand, my God,
what reward Thou givest to those
who fight valiantly
during the nightmare
of this wretched life.
O souls inflamed with love,
obtain for us
grace to comprehend your delight
at reflecting on the eternity of
your bliss
and
your rapture at knowing
it will never end !
3.
Wretched creatures that we are,
O Master mine !
We know and believe these truths,
yet our old-established habit
of not reflecting on them
makes them too strange for souls
either to realise
or seek to grasp them.
And you, self-seeking,
craving for pleasure and enjoyment,
since you will not have the patience
to wait but a short time,
when you could enjoy them in abundance
— to wait a year, or a day,
or an hour,
or perhaps no more than an instant —
forfeit them all
for the sake of some
miserable and momentary gratification
that offers itself.
4.
Oh, oh, oh !
How little do we trust Thee, Lord !
Far more precious riches and treasures
didst Thou entrust to us
— the three and thirty years
of Thy Son's sufferings,
His death and agony,
and
Thy Son Himself !
And these didst Thou bestow on us
centuries before we were born,
knowing at the time
that we should repay Thee nothing;
Yet Thou didst not hesitate
to consign to us
this inestimable treasure
wherewith,
if we augment its value
by the aid of Thy Son,
we can purchase eternal happiness
from Thee, O compassionate Father !
5.
Oh, blessed souls,
so wise in knowing
how to make good use of this loan
— Who bought with it
the matchless prize
of so joyful and eternal
an inheritance,
teach us how you gained through Him
such endless bliss !
Help us,
you are so near the fountain-head !
Draw water for us
who perish with thirst in this world.
Foot Notes: [1] Milner, etc., Excl. XIII. |
End of Exclamation 12 Exclamations, Or Meditations Of The Soul On Its God S. Teresa of Jesus of the Order of our Lady of Carmel St. Teresa of Avila From the Book, "Minor Works Of St. Teresa Conceptions Of The Love Of God Exclamations, Maxims And Poems" |
